Guideline of the Certification Process

Application requesting kosher certification submitted*

STAR-K contacts applicant to begin the review process*

Applicant provides a list of all ingredients and names of suppliers*

STAR-K reviews data and estimated fees*

STAR-K makes an initial inspection which includes a thorough review of all ingredients, all plant equipment, and manufacturing processes

STAR-K submits a contract proposal outlining all agreed upon terms for kosher certification

After all terms and issues have been satisfied, STAR-K issues a letter of certification, authorizing use of the STAR-K symbol on the products approved

*These are […]

Kosher in Depth

The Jewish religion incorporates within its tenets a regimen of dietary laws. These laws determine which foods are acceptable and conform to the Jewish Code. The word kosher is an adaptation of the Hebrew word meaning “fit” or “proper.” It refers to foodstuffs that meet the dietary requirements of Jewish Law. Market studies repeatedly indicate that even the non-Jewish consumer, when given the choice, will express a distinct preference for kosher certified products. They regard the kosher symbol as a sign of quality.The barometer of Kosher and non-Kosher depends on two variables: the source of the ingredients and the status of the production equipment. Kosher certification, which is the guarantee that the food meets kosher […]

Kosher in Brief: What Is Kosher?

The tenets of kashrus (kosher dietary laws) are rooted in the Written and Oral Torah (the Bible). In the post-Biblical era, the rabbis elaborated upon these laws with explanations, details, and organization. These laws determine which foods are acceptable and conform to the Jewish Code.

The word kosher is an adaptation of the Hebrew word meaning “fit” or “proper.” It refers to foodstuffs that meet the dietary requirements of Jewish Law.

The barometer of kosher and non-kosher depends on two variables: the source of the ingredients and the status of the production equipment. Kosher certification, which is the guarantee that the food meets kosher requirements, revolves around these two criteria.

A common misconception is that kosher reflects the conferring of a blessing on food by a rabbi. There is no truth to this whatsoever. Although Jewish ritual does require the recitation of a blessing prior […]

Shmitta 5761

By: Rabbi Dovid Stein

For over nineteen hundred years the Jewish people have longed to return to Eretz Yisroel, the land of Israel. It is only in land of Israel that we can realize our full potential as a nation; it is only in the land of Israel that the Torah’s blueprint for life can be completely fulfilled. Over the millennia the most important dimension of this longing was the yearning to once again be able to fulfill the mitzvos hatluyos ba’aretz (agricultural laws), the commandments that can only be observed in the land of Israel. With Hashem’s help many of us in this past generation have realized part of this two thousand year old dream. Yet, this realization has presented us with new challenges.

The Mitzvah of Shatnes

By: Dr. Avrom Pollak

This article is an attempt to provide a review of some of the pertinent details of the mitzvah of shatnes, to educate consumers so that they avoid purchasing garments containing shatnes, and to dispel many of the myths about certain types of clothing and textiles that do or do not contain shatnes. We hope to reduce the all too frequent instances in which the joy one naturally experiences upon purchasing a new garment is diminished when shatnes is discovered.

Pruzbul

By: Rabbi Mordechai Frankel

Updated August 2022

View / Download PDF of Pruzbul Form Here

Jewish law obligates every Jewish person to cancel, after the culmination of the Shemita year, various types of debt due to him or her. This does not apply to a debt owed to beis din.

If a creditor executes a Pruzbul, he or she is not obligated to cancel debts. A Pruzbul may be executed at any time before the end of the Shemita year. However, since a Pruzbul covers only debts already existing at the time of its execution, it is usually implemented at the very end of the Shemita year, shortly before Rosh Hashana of the post-Shemita year.

When a creditor arranges for the execution of the Pruzbul form below before three men acting as a Beis Din, debts […]

Mitzvos on the Fringe

By: Rabbi Moshe Heinemann

Just as the Torah carefully directs us in the arena of kosher diet, what we can and cannot eat, how food may and may not be prepared, and what foods are considered required eating, similarly, the Torah provides us with a kosher dress code regarding the clothing we wear, what fabrics or combination thereof may or may not be used, how clothing should or should not be worn, and what styles of clothing are recommended. One of the Torah‘s great “how to” mitzvos is the mitzvah of tzitzis. The Torah instructs us to insert specially wound fringes onto the corners of any four cornered garments where the corners surround the wearer.

Good Fences Make Good Home Owners

by Dr. Tzvi White, reviewed by Rabbi Moshe Heinemann, Star-K Rabbinic Administrator

Home ownership, the American dream. After moving in one hopes it doesn’t turn in to an American nightmare. So many things to take care of; so many things to consider. Utilities, the structure, the appliances – the list is seemingly endless. Dealing with normal home issues is hard enough, just think how many more issues have to be considered in a kosher compliant home. Kosher mezuzas on all entrances. Kosher appliances to make the kosher kitchen user friendly. No trees hanging over the backyard area where the sukkah is to be built. Moreover, does anyone realize that roofs, porches, balconies and landings have to be kosher as well? How do you make a porch kosher compliant? The answer – build a ma’akeh.

What is a ma’akeh?

[...] Read More

2010 Kashrus Training Seminar

Star-K’s seventh annual Kashrus Training Program was held in Baltimore from July 12 thru July 15, drawing a diverse crowd

Native South African Rabbi Jonathan Shippel founded and directed Ohr Somayach in Cape Town, where he built a Jewish learning center, a vibrant congregation, and a Jewish day school. Presently living in Manhattan’s Upper West Side, he is a much sought after international speaker and a senior lecturer for Gateways.

2009 Kashrus Training Seminar

STAR-K’s SIXTH ANNUAL KASHRUS TRAINING SEMINAR DRAWS PARTICIPANTS FROM FAR & NEAR

They came from L.A. and Irvine, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, and White Oak, Brooklyn and Great Neck, as well as from Baltimore, Brighton, Chicago, Lakewood, Providence, and as far away as Madison, Wisconsin.

The 26 participants of STAR-K’s sixth annual Kashrus Training Seminar, included rabbonim, kollel fellows, and others serving in klei kodesh who have studied Yorah Deah. The intensive seminar featured lectures by Star-K’s rabbinic staff members, including its Rabbinic Administrator, HaRav Moshe Heinemann, and its President, Dr. Avrom Pollak.

HaRav Heinemann spoke of the intricacies of bishul akum, in a shiur entitled, “Bishul Akum and Ne’emanus of an Akum”. Dr. Pollak discussed practical guidelines for setting up a local vaad hakashrus and gave advice for decisions one faces in doing so, in his lecture, “A Certifying Agency’s Administrative Issues”.

In addition to explaining the various segments of the kashrus industry, sessions covered […]

2008 Kashrus Training Seminar

STAR-K’s FIFTH ANNUAL KASHRUS TRAINING SEMINAR IS WORTH THE TRIP

What do Plano, Texas, Thornhill, Ontario, and Olney, Maryland have in common? They are just some of the hometowns of STAR-K’s fifth annual Kashrus Training Seminar participants.

2007 Kashrus Training Seminar

STAR-K’S FOURTH ANNUAL KASHRUS SEMINAR TO BENEFIT POLISH JEWRY

With the expulsion of Jews from Spain in 1492, Poland became the recognized haven for exiles from Western Europe, and the cultural and spiritual center of the Jewish people. Prior to the outbreak of World War II, it housed the second largest Jewish community in the world, with nearly 3.5 million Jews. All that changed rapidly following Nazi Germany’s invasion in 1939. Of the scant 11 percent (369,000) of the Polish Jewish population which escaped the death camps, many fled their native Poland in reaction to anti-Semitic violence or repression under Communism. Those who stayed often turned their backs on Yiddishkeit. Now that Polish Jews are feeling a new sense of tolerance and security, in their post-Cold War democracy, an increasing number are returning to their Jewish roots, which in many cases, have only recently been discovered.

[...] Read More

2006 Kashrus Training Seminar

Rabbi Chaim Moshe Levy, a Mesivta rebbe in Lakewood, New Jersey, knew it was coming, yet he still felt unprepared. In July, he received an overseas telephone call informing him that the time had come to take over the pulpit of his deceased father, Rabbi Daniel Levy, zt”l, as the Rav of I.R.G. (Khal Adas Yeshurun) in Zurich, Switzerland.

When You Need to Knead: A Guide to Hafrashas Challah

By: Rabbi Dovid Heber

Kashrus Kurrents Fall 2004 | Updated June 2024

[For a related article about the halachos of hafrashas challah for gluten-free blends, whole wheat flour, sourdough and at challah bakes, click here.]

One of the many ways Klal Yisroel serves the Ribbono Shel Olam is through the performance of mitzvos hateluyos ba’aretz, mitzvos that are dependent on the Land of Israel. Those who live in Israel have many opportunities to fulfill these mitzvos. In chutz la’aretz, the mitzvah of hafrashas challah is one of the only agricultural mitzvos that we are obligated to perform.1

It is well known that this is one of the mitzvos performed preferentially by women. Furthermore, one honors the Shabbos by baking and being mafrish challah on Erev Shabbos.2

The following are halachic guidelines based on the psak of Rabbi Moshe Heinemann shlit”a.3

A. Products

Products kneaded from chameishes minei dagan (wheat, spelt, barley, oats, and rye) […]

Pas or Pas Nisht: Reviewing the Laws of Pas Akum

By: Rabbi Tzvi Rosen

Life is made up of a long chain of experiences. Some bitter, some sweet, some mundane, and some exciting. Let me share one with you. About ten years ago I had the good fortune to have an inspiring experience in Morocco, of all places. The purpose of my trip was to inspect various Star-K companies that exported olives and olive oil to the U.S. The inspiration came as a result of spending two days with the remnant of the once thriving ancient Jewish community of Meknes. Meknes was home to many Rabbanim, Geonim, and Tzadikim. The Ohr Hachaim HaKodosh, the great luminary who wrote the famous commentary on Chumash, was born in Meknes. The Jewish cemetery dates back 1200 years. Today barely two hundred families remain. The Rav of the small kehilla is a holy Jew by the name of Rabbi Chaim Kasous, who had served […]

Pas Habah B’Kisnin Chart

I. Varieties and circumstances that warrant a Birchas Hamotzi:

Pas Habah B’Kisnin: Pas or Pas Nisht

By: Rabbi Tzvi Rosen

Spring 2005 | Updated August 2013

…Sora spent the whole morning shopping and was ready to stop for lunch. She was in luck. The kosher pizza shop was down the block from the mall. Since she was watching her weight she did not want to indulge, so she ordered one slice, salad and a diet soda. As she carried her order to her seat, she was faced with a dilemma: which brocha (blessing) should she make – mezonos or hamotzi?

…It was a beautiful wedding with a magnificent stand up smorgasbord. Naturally, the guests lined the carving tables to indulge in delicious corned beef. The glatt[...] Read More

Me’ein Olam Habah, Instant Style: Instant Foods in the Kosher Home

By: Rabbi Avrohom Mushell

August 2013

(Click here for a helpful Glossary of Terms used in this article.)

Our fast paced lifestyles have opened a market for easy to prepare and pre-cooked types of foods. Ready to eat, heat-and-serve or just add boiling water. Packaging labels proclaim that you can have that old fashioned home cooked flavor in only a fraction of the time. For the kosher consumer there are a variety of concerns that present themselves when using these quick to prepare concoctions. As can be expected, the less you have to do at home to prepare, the more that has been done at the factory to make the food edible. Therefore, one must be sure that the product has reliable kosher certification.

One must also be cautious as well when using these processed foods on Shabbos. As a rule, when dealing with raw foods, the Shabbos […]

HOT OFF THE HOTLINE: Kosher is Healthier

By: Rabbi Tzvi Rosen

“Do you really know what Kosher means?”
“I think so.”
“Fine, so tell me, what is Kosher?”
“Kosher means that the food is clean and healthy.”
“No, Kosher means that the food production was blessed by a Rabbi.”

FOOD FIT FOR A KING: Reviewing the Laws of Bishul Akum & Bishul Yisroel

By: Rabbi Moshe Heinemann

It is not uncommon for food manufacturers to call us with a keen interest in kosher certification but who don’t have the slightest idea what it takes to produce a kosher product. What complicates matters is that they would like to have a kashrus tutorial capsulized into a telephone conversation. Obviously, we can’t give a thorough kashrus course over the phone, but we can categorize practical kashrus into three main areas: ingredients, equipment, and process.

Cholov Yisroel: Does a Neshama Good

By: Rabbi Moshe Heinemann

There is a general rule in Halacha, Jewish Law, governing natural derivatives from Kosher and non-Kosher animals. Kol hayotzei min hatahor tahor, vichol hayotzei min hatamei tamei. Derivatives from a Kosher species are Kosher, while derivatives from a non-Kosher species are not. Therefore, milk produced by Kosher mammals, such as cows, goats, and sheep, are considered Kosher, while milk from non-Kosher mammals, such as horses, pigs, camels, or whales, are forbidden.

A Mashgiach’s Job is Never Done

David Mitnick, Star-K Mashgiach

The world of Kashrus is exciting, stressful, and always a challenge for a Mashgiach. Changes in product certification, facility protocol, and current events, in addition to a working knowledge of Kashrus, are items in which every Mashgiach must be well-versed to be a powerful player in any kitchen. The role of the Mashgiach, once typecast as that of an old man with a white beard sitting on a chair, has changed. Not only does the Mashgiach need to know to keep dairy and meat separate, the “new-age” Mashgiach must relate to the kitchen and serving staff with diplomacy and grace in order to be a respected member of the team.

The Rise and Fall of Wonder Bread

By: Rabbi Tzvi Rosen

Published Spring 2013

It has been called the staff of life. “Lechem” (bread) makes a quick cameo appearance for posterity, when the Ribbono Shel Olam charts the course of mankind for time immemorial by punishing Adam HaRrishon with the words, “Bezaias apecha tochal lechem”,1 “You will eat bread by the sweat of your brow.” Of course, it is obvious to everyone – both young and old- that lechem means bread!

“-ASE” לכל חפץ

By: Rabbi Zushe Yosef Blech

Published Spring 2013

In the course of his daily routine, a mashgiach deals with dozens-if not hundreds-of food ingredients. In the arcane world of modern food technology, terms like “enzymes”, “substrates”, “emulsifiers”, “stabilizers”, and “surfactants” lend some technical significance. But, in the real world one may ask, “What has an enzyme done for me lately?” This article will address some of the direct applications of enzymes in our diet.

Tevilas Keilim (Guidelines & Chart)

By: Rabbi Mordechai Frankel

Updated May 2023

General Guidelines

The utensil to be immersed must be completely clean – i.e., free of dirt, dust, rust, stickers, labels or glue. (Practical Tip: WD-40 is very effective in removing adhesive.) One should wet one’s hands in the mikvah water, hold the vessel in the wet hand and say, “Baruch…asher kid’shanu b’mitzvosav v’tzivanu al tevilas keili (keilim for multiple utensils)” and immerse the vessel(s).

If one forgot to make the bracha, the immersion is valid.

The water of the mikvah must touch the entire vessel, inside and out.

The entire vessel must be under water at one time, but does not have to be submerged for any prolonged period of time.

A vessel’s lid or cover can be immersed separately if it is removable.

If a basket or net is used to hold small utensils, the basket should be immersed in the water, the utensils placed in the basket, and the basket […]

The Story Behind Kosher Plastics

By: Dr. Avrom Pollak

Until about two years ago kashrus organizations paid little attention to the kosher status of packaging materials used to contain food prepared even under the most stringent supervision. Therefore, it was quite probable that a can of soup —- made up of ingredients without even a trace of anything nonkosher, prepared on completely kosherized equipment, and where the water from the steam system having been previously used to cook cans containing nonkosher products, was completely drained —- was packaged and cooked in a steel can coated with a tallow based butyl stearate oil (BSO)! Fortunately, due to the efforts of Rabbi Jonah Gewirtz, Chairman of CSPT, working together with the Circle U and the Star-K, we were successful in having every major steel company in this country that produces steel for use in food packaging switch to a vegetable based BSO. Similarly, other lubricants and finishing […]

A Crystal-Clear Halachic Approach to Glass

By: Rabbi Tzvi Rosen

Glass is one of nature’s most versatile products created from some of nature’s most prevalent raw materials: sand, soda and lime. In the food industry glass applications are extremely diverse. Glass can be made into delicate drinking glasses as well as tough heat resistant ceramic cook tops withstanding temperatures over 1000°F.

Terumos and Ma’asros

By: Rabbi Moshe Heinemann

Published Spring 2002 | Updated June 2016

As a result of the State of Israel’s blossoming agricultural advances and innovative marketing strategies, Israeli food exports to foreign markets in all sectors continue to grow and flourish. Some consumer products are very well known to the American marketplace, such as Jaffa oranges, grapefruits, pomelos, clementines and parsley, Carmel tomatoes, Arava peppers, and candies, jams, jellies, canned tomatoes, olives, and pickled products. Other industrial products used for manufacturing are tomato sauce, tomato paste, orange oil and spices. New marketing avenues include private label manufacturing, the purchase of American companies by Israeli companies, and the use of Israeli components in the manufacturing of American labeled products.

Charting the Course of Orla

By: Rabbi Dovid Stein

Published Summer 2013
When a tourist comes to Israel from the Diaspora one of the things he has to get used to is the mitzvos hatluot b’aretz, the mitzvos that are unique to Israel. After he gets through taking trumah and maaser, tithing, and makes sure he doesn’t come during shmitta (beware next year!) he is suddenly hit with orla. And when he asks how to cope with this unfamiliar problem he is sometimes given a chart with a list of fruits and orla percentages which, if he isn’t totally confused, the charts will certainly finish off the job. “What do all these percentages mean? And why,” he asks, “can’t someone give me a yes or no answer instead of these percentages?” So what do the percentages on these fruit charts mean?

A Halachic Exercise in self control

By: Rabbi Tzvi Rosen

Published Summer 2013

SCENE 1: You are hungry. You desperately need something to hit the spot. Suddenly your friend offers you a delicious chocolate frosted cupcake . . . complete with sprinkles. Your mouth begins to water . . . you are just about to take that first irresistible bite when your inner voice raises the age-old query, “How do you know if it is Kosher?” Your ecstasy is short lived. Your hand pulls back and you put the cupcake down. You exercised self control. You are still hungry but you passed the test.

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